Pinwheels symbolize simple times and the carefree innocence of youth.
That’s why Maryville Crisis Nursery, a temporary emergency childcare and family resource center in Northwest Chicago, planted them in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Officials decorated white planters with blue-and-silver pinwheels at the Augustus Tolton Peace Center, a Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago building in Austin, where the Crisis Nursery houses its parenting center.
The pinwheels represent “the innocence of childhood and the whimsical nature of children,” said Tricia Fitzgerald, program director at Maryville Crisis Nursery, who will plant additional pinwheels in the ground outside of the center. “Children are our future, and all children deserve a safe, happy, and healthy childhood.”
Maryville Crisis Nursery has planted pinwheels annually in April since it opened in 2006, wearing blue while doing so as a symbol of child abuse prevention month. While there are seven Crisis Nursery locations in Illinois, the Maryville site is the only one in the Chicagoland area, and the only one to offer programs in Austin.
The Maryville Crisis Nursery provides free crisis childcare and a safe and nurturing environment for kids under the age of 7. Their services — such as the nursery, where children can stay for 30 days a year — aim to improve parenting skills and reduce parental stress through early childhood education. The Crisis Nursery has had more than 11,000 child admissions since its inception through last year.
At the center, the Crisis Nursery offers programs and referrals to parents, plus holds one-on-one case management and monthly support groups.
After planting the pinwheels, attendees headed upstairs for a financial education workshop for parents, since April is also national financial literacy month.
“We are very committed to the neighborhood and the area,” Fitzgerald said of the Austin community. “It’s important that they know that we’re a resource.” She added, “They can call us, any families, when they’re in need.”
Parents experiencing an emergency or crisis, like domestic violence, homelessness, medical issues or unemployment, can contact the Crisis Nursery’s 24-hour helpline at (773) 205-3637.